Bettystown

A seaside village where a bronze Age brooch once changed hands on the strand.

Bettystown sits on the east coast of Meath, where the Irish Sea slides in and out. It is part of the Laytown-Bettystown settlement, two villages that flow into each other along the strand. The beach is long and clean and changes character with the tide. At low water, the sand flats open up. At high water, the sea comes close to the buildings.

In August 1850, a woman and her sons were digging in the sand on this beach when they found a small box. Inside was a brooch — eighth-century silver, cast and gilt, with filigree work so fine you cannot believe it was done by hand with tools that no longer exist. It is called the Tara Brooch, though the Tara name was a marketing invention. It was found here, on this beach, and it is one of the finest pieces of metalwork from that period. It sits now in the National Museum in Dublin, and this beach is quieter for the loss.

The Neptune Beach Hotel anchors the strand. Reddans of Bettystown sits on the main street with its own restaurant and bar. There are pubs for the people who live here and visitors who stay for the weather and the sea. It is not a tourist trap. It is a village that works because the beach works and the town keeps itself honest.